Bill Text: NJ S1797 | 2018-2019 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires DOE to develop registry of high school student-athletes who sustain concussions or other head injuries.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-02-08 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Education Committee [S1797 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2018-S1797-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator RICHARD J. CODEY
District 27 (Essex and Morris)
SYNOPSIS
Requires DOE to develop registry of high school student-athletes who sustain concussions or other head injuries.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning the health of student-athletes and supplementing chapter 40 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. The Department of Education shall establish and maintain a central registry of all high school student-athletes who sustain a concussion or other head injury while participating in a Statewide interscholastic sports program, intramural sports program, or cheerleading program. The purpose of the registry shall be to collect data to determine the rates, patterns, and trends of head injuries in order to develop evidence-based injury prevention protocols. In establishing the registry, the department shall ensure that any student identifying information received pursuant to this section is kept confidential.
b. A person who coaches a school district or nonpublic school interscholastic sport, intramural sport, or cheerleading program shall immediately notify the athletic director or other person designated by the district or nonpublic school when a student sustains a concussion or other head injury as a result of participating in the sport or cheerleading program.
c. Each week, based on the information provided by a coach pursuant to subsection b. of this section, the athletic director or other person designated by the district or nonpublic school shall enter into the department's centralized registry information concerning a student-athlete's concussion or other head injury. The information shall include, but need not be limited to:
(1) the type of head injury;
(2) the sport or program in which the student-athlete was participating when the concussion or head injury was sustained;
(3) the specific incident that occurred that resulted in the concussion or other head injury, including the specific phase of the game or cheerleading routine in which the student-athlete was engaged when the concussion or other head injury was sustained;
(4) the age of the student-athlete;
(5) the average number of days missed from practice or play before the student-athlete was cleared to return to participate in games and practices; and
(6) any information received by the school district or nonpublic school concerning medical treatment received by the student-athlete following the injury.
2. This act shall take
effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill requires the Department of Education to develop a centralized registry for high school student-athletes who sustain concussions or other head injuries. The purpose of the registry is to collect data to determine the rates, patterns, and trends of head injuries in order to develop evidence-based injury prevention protocols.
Under the bill, each person who coaches a school district or nonpublic school interscholastic sport, intramural sport, or cheerleading program must immediately notify the athletic director or other person designated by the district or nonpublic school when a student sustains a concussion or other head injury as a result of participating in the sport or cheerleading program.
Each week, based on the information provided by the coach, the athletic director or other person designated by the district or nonpublic school will enter into the department's centralized registry information concerning the student-athlete's concussion or other head injury, including but not limited to:
· the type of head injury;
· the sport or program in which the student-athlete was participating when the concussion or other head injury was sustained;
· the specific incident that occurred that resulted in the concussion or other head injury, including the specific phase of the game or cheerleading routine in which the student-athlete was engaged when the concussion or other head injury was sustained; and
· the average number of days missed from practice or play before the student-athlete was cleared to return to participate in games and practices.
The bill stipulates that, in establishing the registry, the department must ensure that any student identifying information is kept confidential.
